Recently, home network technologies have been developed. The term “home network” refers to a network in which various home appliances are interconnected to each other so that users can enjoy convenient, safe, and economical life services at any moment inside or outside their houses. With the development of a digital signal processing technology, refrigerators or washing machines, so-called white goods, have gradually been digitalized and a home appliance operating system technique and a high-speed multimedia communication technique have been integrated into digital appliances. With the emergence of information appliances of a new type, the home network has been increasingly developed.
A data network refers to a network established for data exchange between a personal computer and peripheral devices or for Internet services. An entertainment network refers to a network between home appliances dealing with audio or video information. A living network refers to a network established for simple control of appliances, such as home automation and remote meter reading.
A home network system constructed within a household includes a master device, which is an electric device, capable of controlling the operation of home appliances or monitoring the state of the home appliances, and one or more home appliances having a function responding to the demand of the master device and a function informing the master device of a variation in state thereof. The home appliances include both appliances for a living network service, such as a washing machine, a refrigerator, etc., and appliances for a data network service and an entertainment network service.
In order to establish the above-described home network system, however, there is inconvenience in that the master device which can control the operation of home appliances or monitor the state of the home appliances should be additionally provided.